Santa Clara: San Francisco Chef to Open Restaurants at 49ers New Stadium for "Tailgate" Parties

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This is a model of the stadium that was on display at the Levi's headquarters in San Francisco.

San Francisco chef Michael Mina will run two eateries at the planned Levi's Stadium that would turn into a members-only "tailgate" party before San Francisco 49ers games for season ticket holders, the team announced.

Mina, who owns the Bourbon Steak eatery in San Francisco, will open Bourbon Steak and Bourbon Pub at Levi's on Aug. 2, to coincide with the San Jose Earthquakes versus Seattle Sounders FC soccer match, 49ers chief operating officer Paraag Marathe said.

At a news conference with Marathe outside the stadium project Thursday, Mina said he became acquainted with 49ers chief executive officer Jed York and Marathe contacted him last year about the opportunity to open a high-end restaurant for fans and the public at Levi's.

Mina said he came up with a concept of a high-end steak house and a separate pub serving food with valet parking and open to the public 365 days a year.

He said that as a 22-year season ticket holder for 49ers games he has for years met with chefs from other cities to cook before games in the parking lots outside Candlestick Park.

"Every Sunday we would come and do these tailgate parties," Mina said. "If New England came to town, (Boston celebrity chef) Todd English would come to town, so we would cook together."

Mina said he decided to bring the tailgate party concept to his two restaurants.

Prior to 49ers home games at Levi's, the restaurants would be transformed for tailgate-style parties on long wooden tables available to about 500 49ers season ticket holders who purchase exclusive one-year memberships, Mina said.

"You have 10 games a year, hopefully more, where you have these parties," Mina said. "We've designed a 13-foot rotisserie where you can roast a whole ox at one time."

Mina said he also would use cages that can cook 200 lobsters or crabs at once that would be lowered on cranes during the parties.

As he had done at Candlestick, Mina wants to bring in celebrity chefs to cook at the parties.

"We'll invite a lot of chefs, one chef a game, and it'll be
somebody from whatever team we're playing against to come from that city and whatever tailgaters he wants to bring, and we'll compete with them a little bit," Mina said.

Bourbon Steak and Bourbon Pub would seat about 100 persons each and be open throughout the year, Mina said.

Lunches in at the pub would go for $15 to $20 for things like burgers and salads while dinners at the steak house would "be more in the realm of an upscale restaurant," he said.